Disrupting the activities of perpetrators of child sexual abuse

AWARD-winning University of Huddersfield researcher Alex Robertshaw-Seery has worked at the cutting edge of projects designed to reduce sexual harm and exploitation.  Now, she is investigating the use and effectiveness of a police tactic that aims to safeguard victims by disrupting the lives and activities of groups of offenders.

She explains that disruption has been widely used by police in their fight against various forms of serious and organised crime, such as human trafficking and drug importation.  Some forces have now adopted the tactic in order to target perpetrators of localised child sexual abuse and exploitation (CSAE).

“It should always be an integral part of the response to group-perpetrated CSAE, but is also sometimes used as a means to safeguard victims when reaching the evidential threshold for arrest and prosecution is difficult,” said Alex, explaining that disruption is an umbrella term for various tactics and strategies, such as ‘hot-spot policing’.

“They can also include the issue of child abduction warning notices, sexual risk orders, letters of concern – sent out to say that we are aware you are posing a risk.  Sexual harm prevention orders are often issued post-conviction and can prohibit an individual from going to particular places or communicating.”

Child sexual abuse and exploitation 

Alex – who achieved First Class Honours in her psychology degree course at the University of Huddersfield – has embarked on a doctoral research project that considers the impact made by disruption and how perpetrators behave when they are made aware that the strategy is being deployed against them.  She also aims to provide comprehensive understanding of what influences and motivates involvement in group-perpetrated CSAE.

She is interviewing police officers and also perpetrators of CSAE – including some in prison – and is aided by the valuable contacts she has made from working with West Yorkshire Police.  Alex also works as an interventions co-ordinator with Re:Shape, which has a mission to aid communities in reducing the risk of sexual harm.

“Being granted access to interview offenders and police officers can be challenging.  But I have been championed by a lot of colleagues because of the work that I am already doing,” said Alex.

One of her PhD supervisors is the University of Huddersfield’s Reader in Forensic Psychology Dr Nadia Wager.  Alex and Dr Wager have been commissioned by the Centre of Expertise in Child Sexual Abuse to conduct a UK-wide survey of police forces who are using disruption tactics in their response to CSEA and how they monitor its effectiveness.  The two researchers aim to publish their findings by the close of the year. 

Alex’s success at her studies and research have been honoured by the 2019 award bestowed by the long-established Huddersfield Association of Women Graduates, created in 1924 to battle against what was then the male-dominated world of higher education.